AMD Athlon II X3 435 vs AMD Athlon II X4 620

[mojuk]

CPU question here fella's....which way to go? Articles on the subject suggest the triple core for pure grunt/raw power in games....what do we all think?

Peace out,

Moj

[Ulti]

How long do you plan to keep the whole system for? Or are you likely to upgrade every year or so and sell of the existing part?

Also what will you be doing?

For gaming I'd go with an Phenom II 550 BE over any of those two processors. It also has a chance of being unlocked to a quad core too with a mobo that supports core unlocking (most SB710/SB750 ones).

For everything else I'd rather choose the X4 620 as an extra core with extra 512kb cache is likely to be more "useful" than the 300mhz.

The problem with the Athlon II X4 is that 2MB cache hurts it quite a bit whereas the Phenom II 550 has 6mb cache and higher clock speed = perfect for raw processing and gaming.

[Terbinator]

CPU Core scailing on Dirt 2:



Obviously theres the cache variable to take into account but i still think its a good reference for one of the best looking DX9 games.

[shadowmaster]

Yeah I'd agree with above, however for long term and if you dont intend to change anytime soon then I'd go with the Athlon II X4 620.

The Phenom II 550 would be the better choice if you manage to unlock the extra cores though.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...spx?i=3638&p=1

[Terbinator]

I'd say go X4 - overclock it and you should be fine for quite a while relative to the price you will be paying.

[mojuk]

Wow thanks to all for the input here, REALLY appreciate it

Gotta be honest have missed the PC community massively in my console 'outcast' days lol...reading up about a pc before you build it is all part of the fun...spent 7 hours in total reading into new build last nite and seemed like 1 hour

[mojuk]

How long do you plan to keep the whole system for? Or are you likely to upgrade every year or so and sell of the existing part?

Also what will you be doing?

For gaming I'd go with an Phenom II 550 BE over any of those two processors. It also has a chance of being unlocked to a quad core too with a mobo that supports core unlocking (most SB710/SB750 ones).

For everything else I'd rather choose the X4 620 as an extra core with extra 512kb cache is likely to be more "useful" than the 300mhz.

The problem with the Athlon II X4 is that 2MB cache hurts it quite a bit whereas the Phenom II 550 has 6mb cache and higher clock speed = perfect for raw processing and gaming.

Ok so wil be looking to keep it probs for a few years, 18months atleast, will play some games and do some video editing probably...also i was looking at the black edition mentioned....but it seemed that you would either be lucky or unlucky as far as the unlocking goes? Is this the case?

[mojuk]

I'd say go X4 - overclock it and you should be fine for quite a while relative to the price you will be paying.

Ok man thanks, was just chatting with a mate last night and we were unsure as to whether it was the way to go or not....good to have more input!

[Ulti]

Yep, it's definitely down to luck. However, the cores were locked for a reason; I've seen people fail to unlock the cores as well as people who unlock them but then experience problems. I've also seen people unlock them and OC the CPU easily to 3.6ghz though.

If you're looking to keep it for a few years then a 620 might be your best bet.

Here's a thread with a detailed answer:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/...7089_10_0.html

Here are some benchmarks for some comparisons in gaming too:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpu...0-cpu-review/7

The Phenom II 550 does seem to "rape" it on most current games and also overclocks quite a bit higher too.

[Terbinator]

Ok man thanks, was just chatting with a mate last night and we were unsure as to whether it was the way to go or not....good to have more input!

If you was to go X3 then go for the Phenom II version as that nets you the best of both worlds - there quite hard to find now though at a reasonable price point!

[shadowmaster]

Wow thanks to all for the input here, REALLY appreciate it

Gotta be honest have missed the PC community massively in my console 'outcast' days lol...reading up about a pc before you build it is all part of the fun...spent 7 hours in total reading into new build last nite and seemed like 1 hour

I swear you just edited out something you were saying about P0rn? What happened, did you realise that even though researching computers parts is fun its not the same as having a good look at Gemma Atkinson

[mojuk]

I swear you just edited out something you were saying about P0rn? What happened, did you realise that even though researching computers parts is fun its not the same as having a good look at Gemma Atkinson

Lol well perhaps thought better of it incase gf looked and put me on a sex ban or some sh1t lol

Choosing the right CPU when you have 3 (including the 550BE) all within £10 of each other is a headache and i guess you just have to bite the bullet and choose a chip based on the best information you have to hand...more reading now

[no_numb]

Yep, it's definitely down to luck. However, the cores were locked for a reason; I've seen people fail to unlock the cores as well as people who unlock them but then experience problems. I've also seen people unlock them and OC the CPU easily to 3.6ghz though.

If you're looking to keep it for a few years then a 620 might be your best bet.

Here's a thread with a detailed answer:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/...7089_10_0.html

Here are some benchmarks for some comparisons in gaming too:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpu...0-cpu-review/7

The Phenom II 550 does seem to "rape" it on most current games and also overclocks quite a bit higher too.

Got my 550 unlocked and to 3.6 and could probably go higher I cant rate this processor enough. Not sure if I'd be so complementary if it was just a dual core. I only had mine as a dual core for a day or so and it seemed pretty quick.

[mojuk]

Got my 550 unlocked and to 3.6 and could probably go higher I cant rate this processor enough. Not sure if I'd be so complementary if it was just a dual core. I only had mine as a dual core for a day or so and it seemed pretty quick.

Interesting, what BIOS ver you running mate?

[scaryjim]

How far can that budget stretch? You could always look to the Phenom II X3 705e - @ £90 it's only a little more expensive, guarantees you 3 cores (of course, the fourth may be unlockable), has lots of cache, and should overclock well. It also seems to be the only X3 readily available!

[no_numb]

Interesting, what BIOS ver you running mate?

Not sure exactly what its called but its the FB version according to cpu-z

edit yeah the fb version on here

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/M...3097#anchor_os